Handbag provided with removable, washable cover



E. A. CZAP HANDBAG. PROVIDED WITH REMOVABLE, WASHABLE COVER Fild .Feb..,1, 1946 INI bNI'OR. L'zzaAJ'zap, v

ATTORNEYS.

Patented Mar. 9, 1948 FFICE HANDBAG PROVIDED WITH REMOVABLE, WASHABLECOVER Eva A. Czap, Philadelphia Pa.

Application February 1, 1946, Serial No. 644,891

(01. ISO--28) 3-Claims. 1

This invention relates to handbags and more particularly to ladieshandbags of which the exposed materials are. washable.

The principal object of my invention is to provide ahandbag for ladieswhich will hold a definite shape and have the utility and: attractiveappearancev of a. bagnmade. ofsti-li' material but which ischaracterized by the use of exterior materials which are washable andreadily removable.

A. further objectof the invention is toprovide a-handbag'of this.character which may be easily assembledor disassembled and which isrelatively inexpensive to. manufacture;

Other .objectsand advantages of the invention will becomemoreapparentfrom the detailed description of an embodiment of theinvention which follows hereinafter having reference to the accompanyingdrawings, whereof:

Fig. 1 represents a perspective view of a complete handbag embodying theinvention;

Fig. 2 represents an enlarged cross section of the same taken asindicated by the arrows II--II of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 represents a perspective view of the outer element of the handbagwith the inner element and bottom piece removed;

Fig. 4 represents a perspective view of the inner element of thehandbag; and

Fig. 5 represents a perspective view of the bottom piece and thestiffening frame therefor.

With reference to the drawings the handbag illustrated therein consistsof an inner element I and an outer element 2. In order to give shape andbody to the handbag, as well as to enhance its utility, the innerelement l is in the form of a, complete bag and is made of crinoline orsimilar relatively stifl' material. Desirably the inner element I isreinforced at the top by a marginal down turned portion 3 formedintegrally with the inner lining '4 and embracing a strip 5 of cardboardor other stiff material. At the top of the inner element I there isattached a conventional slide fastener 6 which serves to close the mouthof the inner bag. The slide 1 of the fastening means 5 preferably hasattached thereto a looped cord 8 which renders the slide 1 easilyaccessible within the mouth of the handbag.

Above the slide fastener 6 and inside the mouth of the inner bag elementl a row of snap fastening members 9, as best shown in Fig. 4, isprovided, these members coacting with complementary fastening members llaffixed to a flap l2 on the inside of the outer element 2, as

2 best shown in Fig. 3'. Thesnap fastening members 9' and H serve-as ameans for 'detachably securing the outer element 2 to the-inner elementtin aninconspicuous but readily accessible location.

The outer bag element 2 includes a'tubular piece I3-of relativelyflexiblewasha'blematerial formingthe two sides of the-handbag.Convenientlythe tubular piece l3 may be made up of twosimilarly shapedblanks sewed together along seams 4 at each-'end-of the handbag". Theshape which the tubular piece It assumes i-n-the finishe'dba-g-is notimportant and may suit the tastes ofthe designer, according'totheprevalent fashions, but it'wii'l-[b-e' observed that this shape islargely determined by the shape of the inner bag element l which issuiiiciently stiff to give body to the complete assembly.

As shown in Figs. 2 and 5, the outer bag element 2 also includes aremovable bottom piece l5 of washable material. A concealed stiffeningframe consisting of two hoops l6 and ll nested one within the other withthe fabric of the bottom piece l5 held therebetween gives shape to thebottom of the handbag while permitting the bottom piece to be readilyseparated from the stiffening frame. Obviously the hoops it and Il maybe of any desired form instead of the particular oval shape illustratedin the drawings. In the form illustrated in the drawings herein thebottom piece i5 with its frame consisting of the hoops it and I! isdetachably secured to the tubular piece l3 by a row of buttons i8aflixed to the bottom piece it: near the circumferential edges of thesame and a like number of loops it attached to the tubular piece [3 andengaging the buttons l8. An advantage of such an ar rangement is thatwhen the handbag is resting on a table or the like the buttons 18 willcarry the weight of the bag and tend to prevent the bottom piece i5 fromsoiling as it would if in full contact with the object upon which thebag rests. An elastic strip 22 disposed immediately above the hoop l!tends to contract the bottom of the tubular piece I3 and thus toincrease the tension on the loops it so that they are firmly held inengagement with the buttons l8.

At the top of the outer element 2 there is provided an interior flap l2which carries the fastening members H and an exterior cuff 20. Straps 2|for carrying the handbag are desirably attached to the outer element 2between the cuff 20 and the inwardly projecting flap l2.

While I have shown and described one example of a handbag embodying myinvention, it will material, and the outer element consisting of arelatively flexible tubular fabric forming the two sides, of the handbagand a separate piece forming the bottom thereof, said tubular fabric andbottom piece being of washable material, a concealed stiffening framefor giving shape to the bottom piece of the outer element, means fordetachably securing the inner element to the top of said tubular fabric,and means for detachably securing the bottom piece with its frame to thetubular fabric, the fabric of the bottom piece being readily separablefrom its stiffening frame.

2. A handbag consisting of inner and outer elements, the inner elementbeing in the form of a complete bag and made of relatively stifimaterial, and the outer element consisting of a piece forming the twosides of the handbag and a separate piece forming the bottom thereof,said pieces being of washable material, a concealed stiffening frame forthe bottom piece comprising two hoops fitting one within the other withthe fabric of the bottom piece frictionally held therebetween andotherwise unattached to said stiffening frame, and fastener means fordetachably securing the inner and outer elements to- 4 gether, and meansfor detachably securing the bottom piece with its frame to said sides.

3. A handbag consisting of inner and outer elements, the inner elementbeing in the form of a bag and made of relatively stiff material, andthe outer element consisting of a piece forming the two sides of thehandbag and a separate piece forming the bottom thereof, said piecesbeing of washable material, a stiffening frame for the bottom piececomprising two hoops fitting one within the other with the fabric of thebottom piece held therebetween, and fastener means for detachablysecuring the inner and outer elements together, and means for detachablysecuring the bottom piece with its frame to said sides, said meanscomprising a row of buttons and a row of loops, one such row beingattached to the bottom piece, and the other to said sides, and elasticmeans for contracting the outer element to hold the buttons and loops infirm engagement.

EVA A. CZAP.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name 7 Date 1,046,021 Rhone Dec. 3, 19121,407,165 Pajeau Feb. 21, 1922 1,960,396 Rosenberg May 29, 19342,086,326 Goldberg July 6, 1937 2,110,163 Lobel Mar. 8, 1938 2,131,382Lobel Sept. 27, 1938 2,311,847 Long Feb. 23, 1943

